Powell's speech

Yesterday, on the hourly chart, the GBP/USD pair experienced a rebound from the corrective level of 127.2% (1.2777), then dropped nearly to 1.2676 and returned to the 1.2777 level. Another rebound from this level will favor the American currency, leading to a decline toward the Fibonacci level of 100.0% (1.2676). If the pair's rate closes above 1.2777, it increases the likelihood of further growth towards the next corrective level of 161.8% (1.2905).   Trading volumes have been sufficiently high recently, and trader sentiment remains bullish. In a few hours today, the Bank of England will announce its decision on the interest rate.   According to forecasts, the rate will increase by 0.25% again, with 7 out of 9 MPC committee members voting in favor of the hike. This decision has already been factored into current prices, but bullish traders are currently very strong and can accommodate the same rate hike twice.   There is no scheduled speech by Andrew Bailey in the economic events calendar; we must rely on meeting minutes and accompanying letters. Despite yesterday's weak inflation report, the market does not expect a 0.50% rate increase today. As a result, Powell's second speech may have an even greater impact on the pair's movement, but the issue is that these two events almost coincide. When the Fed President's speech begins, it will be difficult to determine whether or not the market pays attention to it.     Therefore, we should anticipate active trading today, but it doesn't necessarily mean the pair will move in one direction. It could be a situation similar to yesterday. On the 4-hour chart, the pair has reversed in favor of the British pound and resumed upward toward the 1.2860 level after two bullish divergences were formed in the RSI and CCI indicators. There are no new emerging divergences observed in any indicators today. If the pair's rate rebounds from the 1.2860 level, it would indicate a reversal in favor of the US dollar, resulting in a decline toward the Fibonacci level of 100.0% (1.2674).  

The downtrend prevails for the EUR/USD pair, falling for the fifth consecutive week. In mid-July, the pair reached a multi-month high at 1.1276, but then sellers took over, as the dollar strengthened and the euro weakened. Last week, bears managed to settle around the 1.08 figure, but they couldn't stay below the support level of 1.0850 (the lower line of the Bollinger Bands indicator on the daily chart), even though they tested this target. The driver of the bearish movement was the USD, which strengthened amid mixed inflation data, hawkish Federal Reserve minutes, decent economic reports, and growing risk-off sentiment. The euro obediently followed the greenback, seemingly content with its role as a "follower" rather than a "leader." This week, the focus will be on the dollar, which, in turn, is anticipating the key event of the month. The event in question is the annual economic symposium held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The significance of this event cannot be overstated. The Jackson Hole symposium is often referred to as a "barometer" for the sentiment of central banks in leading countries. As is known, the forum is attended by central bank leaders from major countries (usually at the level of chairmen or their deputies), finance ministers, leading economists and analysts, and heads of the world's largest conglomerates and banking giants. For three days, they discuss pressing issues, crystallize certain signals, and define the main points of further steps.   Typically, the financial elite discusses the most urgent issues at the time. For example, in 2015, the main topic was the crash on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, in 2016 the discussions focused on the consequences of Brexit, and in 2017 the expansion of bond spreads and the next steps of the Fed and European Central Bank were discussed. In 2018, the central topic of the meeting was the trade war between the US and China (or rather its consequences), in 2019, the global trade conflict was discussed again, as well as the impending Brexit. In 2020, the sole topic was the coronavirus crisis, in 2021, the aftermath of the crisis. The key issue discussed at Jackson Hole last year was inflation. It is evident that participants at this week's meeting will also focus on this issue, given the grim macroeconomic news from China. During the three-day symposium, which starts on August 24th, many central bank heads and representatives will speak and may outline their future course of actions in the context of monetary policy prospects. In particular, Fed Chair Jerome Powell is expected to speak on Friday – if he adopts a hawkish stance, the US dollar will get another boost across the market, including against the euro. The latest US data maintains the intrigue on the Fed chair's stance, so we can guarantee the volatility for the EUR/USD pair (as well as other dollar pairs). In short, the recent inflation reports have been somewhat contradictory.   The Consumer Price Index in July showed an uptrend – for the first time in the last 12 months. The indicator rose to 3.2% year-on-year after June's result of 3.0%. However, the core CPI decreased to 4.7% (the lowest level since July 2021). The Producer Price Index was in the "green" – both in annual and monthly terms. The PPI rose by 0.8%, compared to a forecast of 0.3%. The indicator had been steadily declining for 12 months, but it accelerated last month (for comparison, in June 2022 the PPI was at 11.3%, in June 2023, it was already at 0.1%). The core PPI also consistently declined over several months but remained at June's level in July, i.e., at 2.4%. The report on the Import Price Index similarly favored the greenback. According to data published last week, the index in monthly terms was above zero for the first time since April 2023. It is also necessary to recall the latest Non-farm Payrolls, specifically the "green hue" of the pro-inflationary indicator. The level of average hourly wage increased by 4.4% YoY in July, while experts expected a decrease to 4.1% (the indicator has been at 4.4% for four consecutive months). The question emerges - will Powell focus on the acceleration of the CPI and the dynamics of the PPI? Or will the core CPI and the basic PCE index, which showed a slowdown in inflationary processes, be the focus of his speech? According to data from the CME FedWatch Tool, the chances of a quarter point rate hike at the September meeting is currently only 11%. The likelihood of a rate hike at the November meeting is 33%. Powell may reinforce hawkish expectations regarding the Fed's future course of actions if he is concerned about the growth of the aforementioned inflation indicators. In this case, the Fed Chair will trigger a dollar rally, as a result of which the EUR/USD pair may not only fall to the base of the 8th figure but also test the support level of 1.0750 (Kijun-sen line on the daily chart).   However, if Powell focuses on the side effects of aggressive monetary policy (especially in light of recent decisions by rating agencies Moody's and Fitch), the dollar will be under pressure: in this case, EUR/USD buyers may be able to return the pair to the range of 1.0950-1.1030. Of course, apart from the economic symposium, EUR/USD traders will react to other fundamental factors in the background during the upcoming week (PMI indices, IFO, orders for durable goods, secondary housing sales in the US). However, Powell's speech is the main event not only of the upcoming week but probably of the whole of August in general.    

2-year Treasury yield rises 3.7bps to 4.979% (supports Fed’s higher for longer push) Dollar softens as risk appetite tentatively returns following last week’s stock market rout Fed Chair Powell to speak at Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday The fate of the dollar will not solely depend on what Fed Chair Powell says at Jackson, but on several other factors. Will Nvidia’s earnings reignite the AI trade and provide much needed relief to tech stocks? How much additional support will we see from China? Is ECB President Lagarde ready to show which way she is leaning towards for the September meeting? Finally, will the global flash PMIs show that rate hiking cycles are starting to bring down the service sector? Fed Chair Powell will be trying to avoid a policy mistake here. The annual Jackson Hole gathering will undoubtedly emphasize the need for policymakers to keep rates higher for longer.  Powell might stick to his hopes of a soft landing, while hinting that eventually rates will be able to come down.  It seems the majority of Wall Street is expecting Powell to deliver a hawkish hold, but any signs that the Fed is concerned about disorderly markets could end up supporting the case that the Fed will cut rates early next year. EUR/USD Daily Chart     The EUR/USD (a daily chart of which is shown) as of Monday (8/21/2023) is seeing its bearish trend cool ahead of the Jackson Hole Symposium.  The euro’s slide had its eyes on the July low (1.0834), but that seems to be providing key support for now.  If the bond market selloff remains intact, we might not have to wait for any fireworks from Jackson Hole speeches by both ECB’s Lagarde and Fed Chair Powell.     If euro-dollar sees a sharp plunge, key support will come from the 1.0740 to 1.07400 region. It is around that area that price could see the formation of a potential bullish ABCD pattern, which might target a key harmonic level of 350 pips. The key story on Wall Street remains the movement with real yields.  The yield on 10-year inflation-protected Treasuries rose above the 2% level, this is the first time it did that since 2009.  Soft landing or not, some investors won’t be able to pass up getting paid over 5% on short-term debt they can hold for a few months. If at the end of the week, the dollar’s rally is exhausted, upside could target the 1.0925 region.  Only a daily close above the 1.1050 level would open the door for an extended euro rally.